SPOILERS BELOW – VN AND ANIME

Kanon 2002, a show associated more with internet memes about extremely long chins than with the content of the media itself – if you’ve seen it, you know what I mean. However, as with any anime, a proper watching of this show requires a context that supersedes the mockery of the artstyle. As usual, this review will include a discussion of the show’s music, art, characters and plot before concluding.

First, some context. Kanon was released in 1999 as the first visual novel by the now-esteemed Key studio, followed by Air in 2000 and Clannad in 2004. The studio itself found its origins in the core developers of the Tactics studio, who had previously worked on Moon (1997) and One (1998), and then split off into the Key/Visual Arts studio we know today. It’s also worth saying that Jun Maeda – the mastermind behind much of the incredible music that the studio is known for – also played a large role in developing the soundtrack and several of the routes in the original VN, the former of which are either directly taken or modified for their respective anime.

In terms of Kanon specifically, it was originally introduced as an adult visual novel consisting of five individual routes (plus one mini-route, which we’ll talk about earlier) that each focus on the main protagonist, Yuiichi, and one of the main heroines. Kanon, in typical VN style, follows a branching plotline of which only one ending route per playthrough can be achieved, and comprises different “bad ends” that do not reveal some of the art shown in the “good ends” to each route. It’s also worth saying that the original release of Kanon is true to its genre by being hentai in nature, however, most of the erotic content is reserved for specific “h-scenes” that were stripped in later “all-ages” releases. It’s worth saying that the developer’s earlier works – Moon and One – did not receive such releases due to their relative unpopularity compared to Key’s later works, and it’s arguable that the erotic content is completely irrelevant to the VN’s story, thankfully, as I skip such scenes in my own playthroughs. Furthermore, I have yet to see a compelling argument to the contrary – though I encourage you to try and convince me!

With all that out of the way, it’s time to move onto the anime itself. The show was produced by Toei animation and released in 2002, with a one-episode OVA (Kanon Kazahana) released the following year. This review will focus entirely on the anime rather than the OVA, and properly so, as I feel that the latter fails to capture both the anime interpretation or the purpose of the story as a whole. The plot picks up directly where the VN gameplay begins, and one of the major characteristics of Kanon ’02 is its unique conclusion of four routes in roughly one episode apiece. The show, notably, does strongly adopt the “one true ending” interpretation of the VN conclusion, which is left much more up to user adoption than its spiritual successor, Air.

First, let’s progress to the music. The mastermind behind the original VN soundtrack is Jun Maeda, who also wrote two of the routes in the original game (Makoto and Mai). In general, the atmosphere of the VN is driven by its soundtrack, with the excellent and distinctive “Last Regrets” setting the tone for the rest of the game. The anime, on the other hand, chooses to accommodate an entirely new OP and ED, which, although being decent pieces of work in their own right, fail to capture the sense and feel of the original OST. That being said, the rest of the soundtrack does a good job of serving as the anime BGM, always serving to augment rather than detract from the exposition and climax shown in the animation. And speaking of animation, that is where we will turn to next.

The animation is probably what you know this show for, and not for bad reasons – a simple google search of “Kanon chins” will reveal the famous 9-panel composite image featuring Yuichi with a grotesque extension of his lower face. This meme has perpetrated so far that it has been a matter of confusion to some casual viewers if these images are real or faked – and the former is most definetely untrue. Yes, Toei may have adopted a strange affinity towards its characters’ chins in Kanon ’02, but even five minutes of play through the original game (or any early Key work, for that matter) reveals that the studio is actually pretty close to the original character design. The art is, however, particularly off-putting when compared to the much-higher standard of the Kyoani-produced Kanon 2006. I won’t attempt to justify this artstyle (as I’m not a huge fan of it either) but it’s worth saying that 1999 was a different time for character design, and thankfully Kanon 2002 includes enough plot to keep you interested beyond the art memery. On related notes, none of the rest of the art in the show is particularly outstanding, though it is worth saying that the studio stays amazingly close to original character and scene design, even nailing things like the characters’ dress and setting. When looking holistically, however, I’d rate the art at sub-average overall.

Next, let’s move onto the characters. Strangely enough, Kanon ’02 generally does a very solid job accurately portraying most of the characterization shown in the VN, particularly difficult given the limited number of episodes. The MC, Yuichi, is definitely the worst of the bunch, in typical VN fashion. Absolutely nothing about him is remarkable, in a good or a bad way. He isn’t particularly intelligent, funny, cruel or ambivalent. He just exists, and serves as a neutral looking-glass through which the viewer can watch the stories unfold. It’s also worth saying that while I don’t hate his VA, he is the only member of the six leads who was re-cast in the 2006 remake (to Tomokazu Sugita, who IMO cannot be competed with). Really the only arc that he adopts a bit of a personality in is Ayu’s, who is the next logical figure to talk about next. I’m a Yui Horie fan and she almost singlehandedly turns this anime’s casting from lackluster to good. Ayu, the “true ending” of the VN and also of the anime itself, checks pretty much all the boxes for a typical Key heroine – mysterious, clumsy, having wings. Her character draws its spark more from her relationship with the other characters than anything else. And, interestingly, this actually does much better than you’d expect in Kanon. The show tempts you to view her as a childish airhead, and then traps you in an unexpected whirlwind of character development. My biggest criticism is how this seems to happen much closer to the end of the show (episodes 11, 12 and 13), but that’s somewhat unavoidable, as we’ll see below.

Next is the remaining four leads. First is Mai, whose arc is covered and completed across two episodes (7 and 8), in which the directors shift almost all focus onto wrapping up her story. Mai is the typical aloof, taciturn girl contrasted by her gregarious friend Sayuri, who befriends Yuichi. Mai’s story is one of demons and Yuichi’s role in accompanying her fight. Frustratingly, however, I feel that the VN accomplishes the nuance of her story far better than the anime, which concludes that her struggles are mainly psychological rather than supernatural, rather than leaving it up to the viewer’s interpretation. It is with Mai that Yuichi begins to regain his memory and interactions with her as a youth. Shiori’s story (episode 9), follows another Key trope of mysterious sickness, which again Yuichi finds himself involved. Shiori is perhaps the most shafted character in the entire show, as her VN ending is incompatible (arguably) with Ayu’s. Part of me wants to believe that Toei’s hands were tied (adopting a branching plotline to a linear one is hard!) but as the Shiori arc wrestles with some of the most “real” topics (such as family abandonment and self-harm) I can’t help but wish it got some better dealing. Shiori, unlike the remaining characters, also has the unique characteristic of not having any backstory with Yuichi, unlike Makoto, who we will discuss next. Makoto’s arc (episode 10) is the most supernatural of the bunch, describing her change from a mysterious, vengeful girl to a key part of the MC’s upbringing. If a bit short, I can say that the Makoto arc is brought perhaps to the most accurate ending in the anime (not the OVA sadly), and actually doesn’t disappoint. Finally we’ll move to Yuichi’s cousin Nayuki, who has the unique characteristic of having part of her arc completely stripped from the anime, in a bit of a strange way, as we will see in the next section. Overall, the characters of Kanon are good – generally true to their VN portrayals, suffering more from lack of screentime than anything else.

Now onto the meat – the plot! Rather than explaining line-by-line (and to save those of you who don’t want it completely spoiled), I’ll take a look at the methodology behind the plot progression as a whole. Like I mentioned, Toei attempts to portray a branching plotline in a linear fashion, an extremely difficult task. The first 6 episodes include simultaneous development of some of the earlier points in the VN’s plotline, with Yuichi interacting with several of the heroines per episode. The studio then uses the following episodes to develop and conclude each of the arcs, as mentioned above, concluding with Ayu’s arc as the “true” ending. Oddly enough, I find myself seriously appreciating the commitment to concluding each arc before moving onto the next (impossible, of course, in the original game, as each playthrough can only conclude one arc), rather than trying to awkwardly finish each simultaneously at the end. The inevitable weakness, however, lies in the limited time for each. For example, Mai’s story slowly and convincingly develops a sense of dread and mystery in the game, but includes mere quick exposition in the anime. This issue extends, moreover, to plot conclusions – the miracle in Shiori’s arc is downplayed or even downright ignored.

I think this issue of branching-vs-chronological-vs-simultaneous lies squarely on the question of Ayu’s story and her wish. In the game, it’s suggested (and again, left largely up to reader interpretation!) that Ayu sacrifices herself and uses Yuichi’s wish to save each of the other heroines: Mai’s demons, Shiori’s health, Makoto’s humanhood, and Nayuki’s family – in the anime, it’s very clear that her wish can only save one. And her choice is for Nayuki, saving her mother Akiko in exchange for her own existence. Perhaps there’s an easy explanation for this from the Toei standpoint: it’s the best way to make up for what Nayuki is missing in the anime adaptation. While the incestuous topic isn’t foreign to the genre, it’s painfully obvious throughout the entire adaptation that the Nayuki romance is intentionally disregarded. I can’t exactly explain why, as this omission is immediately prevalent to those who have played the game, but I really appreciate how it emphasizes the actual point of her route – family above self (an old Key favorite). It is worth saying that the OVA attempts to revisit this omission, but in a crude and unsatisfactory way.

This is a bit of a quandary that brings up a greater question about Kanon as a whole – in the VN, Yuichi only regains the memories of the girl on whose route he completes, and like I said earlier, there can only be one. Does this mean that the rest of those memories (specifically, for the three other heroines disregarding Shiori) are left permanently un-remembered? Or did they not exist in the first place, and those memories are being spontaneously generated in his own mind as his relationship deepens with his girl of choice? It’s not a question that the 2002 adaptation really grapples with, but it’s hard for me to fault Toei given the short time that they had. I can’t help but wish, however, that they had dug a little bit deeper into the tension between the wish of one heroine and the needs of another. Ayu’s story is heart-gripping, no lie, but I feel that it misses a bit of the Maeda-esque mystery present in his game.

So overall, Kanon 2002 exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations. The art wasn’t great but was bearable for someone who had completed the several hours necessary to finish each route in the VN. The soundtrack, while sadly not including the excellent theme, was decent but not remarkable. The characters, average but fairly representative of the source material. And the plot – not exactly the most complete way to resolve a branching plotline, but certainly not the worst. Overall, I appreciated Kanon ’02 and actually ended up giving it a much higher rating than I expected. I am, however, excited to finish the 2006 version and see how it compares.

Only regret is the lack of the Sayuri mini-route as she’s pretty much best girl.